I Wanna See You Be Brave
by jamespotteriloveyou
Summary: High school was hard. Percy & co navigate new friendships, even newer relationships, parents, and the various social injustices of high school.


**Uh, hi. *Clears throat* I haven't posted anything in a long time. *Chuckles nervously* So here's a thing.**

**No, but in all honesty, I just reread the PJO/HOO series and I finished them and I was just like 'high school au'. So I'm gonna try it out. The narration is going to be like the HOO series with the different characters. This chapter is for Jess and Liv, who read over it for me, and Dee who let me bounce ideas off her when I first started writing.**

**The title is from the song 'Brave' by Sara Bareilles because I feel like when you're in high school you have to be brave or else it has the potential to really suck.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I mean, I physically own the books, but I don't ****_own_**** the books. Cover art by Viria.  
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High school was hard. Like, really hard. All that homework and the difficult teachers and the pressure of doing well. Not to mention all the kids who seemed to think it was their life's mission to antagonize as many of their peers as possible.

He had almost made it through the week. It was right before last period on Friday and he only had one class left before the freedom of the weekend. If he could just make it through one more hour he'd be home free. Plus his mom wouldn't give him that disappointed look she always got when she found out he'd gotten detention.

Percy tried not to rise to the taunts he often heard- about his ADHD and dyslexia, about his often absent father, about the fact that he lived in a small apartment in Queens and attended the school on scholarship- and he was usually successful. They could make fun of him all they wanted, he had a pretty thick skin, he could handle it. But make fun of his friends and Percy's anger rose quickly.

Grover Underwood was Percy's best friend and there was no way he was going to let people walk all over him. Sure he walked with crutches and yeah he was kind of scrawny for 17 but he was Percy's best friend and no one messes with Percy's friends.

When that ass Ethan had knocked Grover's crutches right out from under him Percy could barely stop to make sure Grover was ok first before his fist connected with Nakamura's jaw.

And who should be turning the corner at that exact moment but Mr. Tantalus, Percy's Math teacher.

"Percy, man, I'm sorry."

Percy rolled his eyes. "Dude, don't be sorry. It's not your fault Nakamura's an ass."

Grover didn't look convinced though and only left for his next class because Annabeth pulled him away. Percy waited until they were safely out of sight and banged his head against his locker. He'd been doing so well- a whole week into the year and no detention yet! And now he'd be spending his Friday afternoon there.

The bell rang and Percy sighed, rubbing his head as he ran for History.

"Aah, Mr. Johnson, so glad you could join us," Mr. D said dryly as he slid into his seat. Clarisse LaRue snickered behind him.

"It's Jackson, Mr. D. Percy Jackson."

Mr. D just rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Sit down and start your work."

Percy could hardly concentrate on his history book, he was still angry about Ethan and Mr. Tantalus and the various other social injustices high school had hit him with already that week.

The last bell rang and Percy was halfway to the door when Mr. D called him.

"Mr. Johannsen,"

"It's Jackson," Percy said with a sigh, knowing it wouldn't matter anyway.

"Whatever. You would do well to be on time to my class, Peter."

"Percy," he grumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing Mr. D. I won't be late again."

"Don't be. You might not like the consequences."

Percy nodded. "Yes sir." He thought he heard something about dolphins as he hurried out of the room but he didn't stop to ask.

Grover and Annabeth were waiting for him at his locker, Annabeth wearing her favorite New York Yankees baseball cap- a gift from her mother that she always seemed to wear no matter if it matched her clothes or not- and Grover playing a set of these weird reed pipes he had borrowed from the band room two years before.

He stuffed his things in his backpack and shouldered it.

"You want us to wait?" Annabeth asked without looking up from her iPad. Her face was scrunched in concentration and Percy couldn't help but smile. He liked when her face scrunched up like that.

"Nah, don't worry about it. I told my mom I'd be home after school."

Grover looked hesitant and Percy knew he was still beating himself up. Which was pretty much the opposite of what Percy wanted because he had detention because he was trying to keep Grover from getting beat up. Ironic, right?

"Don't worry about it, G-man. I'll see you guys tomorrow right?"

Annabeth actually looked up this time and her face glowed with a Cheshire Cat-like grin.

"Duh- I am so gonna take you down, Seaweed Brain."

Percy smirked. "You wish, Wise Girl."

Annabeth gave him a look that said he was gonna get his butt beat and Grover looked like he was maybe starting to believe her. Annabeth didn't mess around when it came to capture the flag.

"See you guys tomorrow."

Grover and Annabeth gave him a small wave each and turned to leave.

Percy walked into the locker room that housed Coach Hedge's' office- Tantalus couldn't even stick around long enough to oversee the detention, the lazy prick- and was almost overcome by the stench of sweat and BO and the other myriad of smells exclusive to a boys' locker room.

Coach was sitting at his desk going through the questionnaires that Percy and his classmates had filled out earlier that day. Percy cleared his throat to get the teacher's attention.

"Aah, Jackson, excellent. You're gonna be serving detention with Valdez, here-" a kid with curly black hair and elfish features sitting in the corner that Percy hadn't noticed before grinned and waved, "in the cafeteria. I told the lunch ladies to go on home, you two can take care of the dishes."

Percy had to bite back a groan- he had had to wash dishes in the cafeteria once before. It was totally not how he wanted to spend his next two hours.

He trudged down the hall, his backpack dragging on the floor, to the cafeteria while Valdez- 'I'm Leo, what's up man? What'd you do to get stuck here on a Friday?'- talked his ear off.

"Dude, has anyone ever told you you talk too much?"

Leo just grinned. Percy had a feeling he did that a lot. "Only every day since I was four. I think it's the ADHD to be honest. And if my mouth isn't moving my hands are." He produced a bunch of cell phone parts from his pocket and held them out to Percy. "I'm workin on getting some kid in my homeroom access to the school's private Wifi right now."

Percy looked at the kid with narrowed eyes. He was sure he'd never seen him before today. When he said as much Leo nodded. "It's my first day. Just moved here from Texas. My deadbeat-dad finally stepped up and pulled me outta the group home I was livin in."

Percy followed Leo back into the kitchen and groaned- the lunch ladies had apparently decided to forgo doing any dishes that day and there were piles of lunch trays stacked haphazardly on the return.

'At least it's not two hours with Hedge- that dude gives me the creeps," Leo said dropping his backpack to the ground.

Percy shrugged. He didn't mind Coach Hedge much- he was much nicer than some of the other teachers anyway. But this sucked majorly and Hedge was definitely not his favorite person right now.

The water only seemed to have one temperature- scalding. Which, Percy thought, is a good thing when it comes to cleaning the trays over 1000 kids eat off everyday. Not so good for his hands though.

"Dude, how does that not bother you?" He asked Leo as he loaded a stack of clean trays onto their shelf.

"I dunno- maybe it's because I'm from Texas. Everything's hotter there." The last part he said with a grin and Percy couldn't help but smirk. The kid was pretty cool.

"Alright Cupcakes, time to go."

Percy hasn't even realized how much time had passed before Coach Hedge stuck his head in the kitchen. He flung the soap suds from his hands, snatched up his backpack and bolted with Leo not far behind.

"So, you ever play capture the flag?"

Leo raised an eyebrow. "Uh, no. Is that actually a thing? Like, a thing that happens outside of movies about summer camp and stuff?"

Percy scoffed, pulling the lock from his bike, Blackjack- and so what if he named his bike, big deal. "Of course it is. We play in Central Park every Saturday after school starts until it gets too cold. You should come- its cool."

Percy didn't know why he was inviting the guy. Maybe there were some things that you just couldn't go through without becoming friends. You know, like burning through two layers of your skin washing dishes in detention.

"I guess I could get behind that. What time?"

Percy gave Leo the details and waved as he walked the opposite direction.

The whole ride home, swerving through traffic and pedestrians alike, Percy found himself thinking about the ridiculous amount of homework he had and how he'd rather play video games. The homework could probably wait until Sunday night. Annabeth's face popped into his head then, a stern expression that he knew well. It was her 'really Percy, is that such a good idea?' look. He got that one a lot. She was actually kind of cute when she was annoyed with him. Which, honestly, was quite often.

He shook his head as he took a corner and barely managed to avoid a man in a suit talking on a cell phone.

Percy skidded to a stop on the sidewalk in front of his building, scaring a few pigeons and earning him an unimpressed look from two girls walking down the street in extremely high heels- like wow, they looked painful- and short skirts.

He shimmied his way up the stairs, his bike in tow, and fumbled for his keys. Mostly they were just keychains from his father's various fishing trips because he only actually had two keys- the one to the apartment and the one to his bike lock.

Before he could use his key, however, the door opened and his mom appeared in the doorway.

Ask anyone and they'd tell you Sally Jackson was the nicest, sweetest, most loving woman they had ever known. Which is one of the many reasons Percy hated to disappoint her. That, and the face she was making as she stood in front of him.

It was 'the look'. Sally Jackson very rarely got angry, but Percy would have preferred anger to the look most times. It was a look that said 'I know you can do better than this. I know you can be better than this. You're a good boy, Percy, but you shouldn't be fighting/talking back to your teachers/acting out' and Percy was, unfortunately, all too familiar with it.

"I'm sorry, Mom," he said before she could say anything, "I really am. This kid knocked Grover off his crutches and I couldn't stop myself, I just hit him."

"I'm not mad, Percy."

Not mad, just disappointed.

"I'm just disappointed."

Percy sagged- and there it was. Percy hated the 'D' word. He hated to disappoint anyone, let alone his mom, the woman who had practically raised him on her own.

"Sorry," he mumbled, his head hung.

"Just go do your homework sweetheart. Dinner will be done on about twenty minutes."

Percy sighed and made his way for his room.

"Percy?"

He turned and found his mom watching him.

"This kid- he knocked Grover off his crutches?"

Percy nodded.

"You got him good, I hope?"

He couldn't help but smirk. "Yeah, I did."

Sally's stern expression flickered for a moment and Percy was sure she almost smiled. "Good. But next time, maybe try to keep the physical violence to a minimum. Now go on, I'll call you when dinner's done."

He stowed his bike in the corner and flopped down on his bed. He needed to watch himself. Just because his mom wasn't too disappointed this time didn't mean Percy could go landing himself in detention every week.

Why do teenagers have to be such douchebags? Percy sighed as he put his headphones on.

High school was hard.

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**So... there it is. Comments? Suggestions? Anything? I'm really thirsty tonight so I'd love some comments/feedback.**


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